Sectonia's Lament
by Gordo the God
Summary: As the dust settles on the battlefield, the dying queen remembers the time long ago when she was truly beautiful.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here goes. I've honestly been wanting to make a story like this, since there's not many in-depth stories of Sectonia, so I've come to fix that. My first (of many) works on this site. Hope you enjoy, and please comment any tips and criticism. After all, this is my first step.**

 **-Gordo**

 _ **Sectonia's Lament**_

Chapter 1

High above Dreamland, at the peak of the Dreamstalk, the final blow had been dealt. The mad queen of Floralia had finally been defeated. As the stalk holding up the blossoming tyrant collapsed and fell, Sectonia was finally freed. She had long since been corrupted by that strange mirror, and she had fallen captive to her own image. With each meter she fell, she remembered more and more from the time when she was loved. Before everything crumbled…

"I give you your new queen, Queen Sectonia III!"

It was coronation day. The entire kingdom of Floralia had come to celebrate the coming of age for the next in line for the throne. Sectonia herself wasn't very prepared, so she had to request some assistance for speaking in public. That help came from her beloved friend and advisor, Taranza. Taranza had always been at her side, giving her all kinds of advice. It was he who had taken her hand and lead her out of her grief when her mother died. It was his arms that protected her from would-be assassins. It was he whom she would trust with her life.

"My subjects", she spoke with certain brightness in her eyes, "As your queen, it is my duty to protect all of you. I hope to be as good a queen as my mother, maybe even better. I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety and happiness of my people. All you need to do is ask and I will assist you."

"Long live the queen!" Taranza cheered, beside himself with joy and pride.

"Long live the queen!" the crowd echoed.

After the ceremony, the entire kingdom partied. For three days straight, the streets were filled with liveliness and merriment. From every window, the noises of celebration could be heard. Every house, from humble apartments to modest mansions, was bursting with laughter. Even the castle had its own party. Guards could be seen dancing with commoners, and even the council members, who were easily identifiable via the plant headdresses they wore, were seen amongst the buffet table, chatting and drinking an occasional beverage. However, the queen herself was high above the commotion, spending time with the one who helped put all this together.

"I don't get it, Your Highness. Why aren't we down there, along with the others?" Taranza inquired.

"Taranza, we've known each other our whole lives. You don't have to address me by my title; call me Iris", the queen said with an amused smile.

"Right, Your High- sorry, Iris, but you didn't answer my question…" Taranza replied.

"Well, the reason I brought you up here to dine with me is because none of this would've been possible without you. You've been the best friend anyone could ask for. I mean, at this point, we've almost become a couple," Sectonia answered, still holding that smile.

"O-Oh. W-Well, you're too kind. I've only ever done what I thought was necessary," Taranza said, nervousness creeping into his voice.

Sectonia sighed, and rose from her seat, motioning Taranza to follow. They both walked out onto the balcony, overlooking all of Floralia, as well as most of Planet Popstar.

"All this is because of you, Tary," Sectonia pointed out, using Taranza's childhood nickname, "All this is thanks to your kindness. I wanted to thank you for that."

They both watched the moon get higher, illuminating the balcony in a silvery glow.

"What do you plan to do tomorrow, Iris?" Taranza asked, eyes still fixed on the heavens.

"Well, I did promise my subjects that I would protect them. It's been three days of partying, so I expect tomorrow there will be people showing up, hungover and missing a couple items. Belongings always go missing after parties," Sectonia said with a yawn.

"That's true. Well, I better get going, I'm pretty tired," Taranza mentioned, eyes already drooping.

"Wait, where do you even sleep? I've always wondered why you weren't around at night."

"I sleep in the servant's quarters. I am still a servant, after all. Even if it's the queen's servant."

"That's ridiculous! Tomorrow, I'll have the carpenters make you a new room, right next to mine," Sectonia said, astonished that her dearest friend still slept in those horrible beds. She made a mental note to visit the servants and order new and improved living quarters for them.

"That's okay, Iris. I'm pretty content sleeping down there, anyways."

"Taranza, that wasn't a question. That was my first command as queen," Sectonia pronounced triumphantly.

"If it matters that much to you, fine. I do have to warn you, I sleeptalk," Taranza admitted, both of them knowing that the walls were about as thin as cloth.

"And I bet you say the strangest things, Tary. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Iris."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just to make sure you're seeing this story correctly in your mind's eye, this takes place before Sectonia turns into a giant bee. She looks like a more feminine Taranza. If you want a better image, just look it up.**

 _ **Sectonia's Lament**_

 _Chapter 2_

 _Down to Business_

After resting for quite a while, the newly-crowned queen woke up, groggy and hungry. Slipping out of her silky clothes, Iris put on her royal garments, finally finishing with her special collar. Taranza had it made just before her coronation, and she loved it. Hearts adorning the points, the cloth was clipped onto her chest with a heart-shaped jewel clasp. It was her first day on the job, and she needed to look the part.

As the queen made her way down to the dining room, Taranza was already there, digging into a pastry. He didn't notice her enter the room, so while he was busy stuffing his face with bread, she sat down across from him, and waited for Taranza to finally look up. When he eventually did, his face turned redder than a Metomato.

"Ah!" Taranza jumped, a bit of pastry stuck on the corner of his mouth.

"Morning, Taranza", Sectonia greeted him, reaching to the center of the table for an apple.

"M-My lady! I didn't hear you come down! Please excuse my manners", Taranza said, wiping his face with a napkin.

"It's fine, Taranza. Why were you up so early?" she asked, biting into the apple.

"Well, that's a loaded question. After I went down to bed, I awoke to someone trying to break into the castle through my window. After blasting him all the way to the fields, I just couldn't fall asleep again. I eventually got hungry, so I came up to get something, and here we are", Taranza finished, noticing that Sectonia had already eaten her apple.

"Well, when you're finished inhaling your food, meet me in the throne room. It's about time we got started", Sectonia said, rising from her seat and leaving the room.

"My queen, we have a situation"

Iris had barely sat down before one of the council members alerted her to a problem.

"What is it?"

"It's the infant Star Warrior. He's helping a Halcandrian repair his ship", the member said.

"This is the same Star Warrior that got betrayed by one of his friends, right? Mark, I believe his name was. The same Star Warrior that destroyed one of the Novas made by the Ancients?" Sectonia asked, remembering when that clown attempted to seize control over Planet Popstar.

"It was Marx, and yes. His name is Kirby", the daisy-adorned Floralian corrected.

"Hmm. Where is the self-proclaimed king? Where is the lone swordsman?" Iris inquired.

"Helping him repair the ship. I guess they resolved their differences", the member said, remembering when Kirby was always fighting with Dedede.

The queen thought for a while. Eventually, she decided to not intervene just yet, for all she knew, this "Magolor" character could be genuinely lost. After she gave the orders to hold back, Taranza finally showed up, clean and prepared for work. Sectonia, having seen her friend, eased up a little, and asked for the guards to send in the next person.

The day was littered with missing items cases. Each one was very similar, someone losing a precious item after having a party. They always ended the same way, the thief never even knowing they did it. All was forgiven each time, and each angry individual went back home with said item eventually. Then, as if whatever God up there decided that he didn't like all these happy endings, gave the queen a nightmare.

The person in question was a Floralian women barely over 20. She came into the palace holding a note, eyes red and puffy. The woman explained to the concerned queen that last night, her boyfriend had vanished. When she woke up, she found a note that only had one thing on it: a snake symbol.

"Whatever is happening, I assure you, I will investigate the matter personally", the queen said, rising from her throne.

"My queen! Is that a good idea? What about assassins?" Taranza warned, clearly worried.

"I can defend myself quite well, Taranza. Don't worry, I'll take you and a couple guards along with me", Iris reassured him.

"Please find him! I don't know what I'll do without him!" the woman pleaded.

"Don't worry, I'll find him. In the meantime, one of my guards will lead you to a safe place to live", the ruler said, motioning towards one of her insectile guards.

As the woman was calmed down and led away, Sectonia gathered six guards, Taranza along with them, and left for the victim's house at the edge of the kingdom grounds. As the group neared the palace gate, the sunflower-adorned council member notified Sectonia that Kirby was almost finished repairing the Lor Starcutter. Sectonia then decided to see where this was going and ordered her best scout to board the ship and give the council live updates on the situation. By the time the queen had left the palace grounds, the scout had already infiltrated the Starcutter and hidden inside Magolor's room. That's when the scout came upon books upon books, all open to pages focusing on one thing: an all-powerful object called the Master Crown. She started photographing Magolor's megalomaniac obsession and sent the pictures to the council's database. It was then that the council realized, as the Lor Starcutter departed Popstar, the gravity of the situation.

Sectonia had finally reached the house, if one could call this a house, and stepped inside. It was a tiny space, barely enough for her and Taranza to fit inside, so the guards waited outside. The bedroom and kitchen were just two paces away from each other, and the ceiling was way too low to be comfortable. As the queen and her loyal assistant surveyed the home, something just felt…off. All Floralians were born with the potential for magic, but training was required to do anything beyond levitating a spoon two inches off the ground. As magical beings, they were also able to detect magic's "footprints". Magic always left behind a residual aura, but only those well-versed in it can detect the telltale signs.

A quick Sense spell revealed a wave of magic to the two Floralians. Whatever transpired here, it essentially flooded the room with magic. Something this strong couldn't just be residual energy; there must be something generating it. After the duo searched for the source, Taranza came upon an ethereal trapdoor, the entrance to a room that only the most skilled of mages can enter. This was put into effect when Floralia was first established, when everyone had mastered the arcane arts, as a sort of safe room. Taranza flung open the trapdoor, called Sectonia over, and descended together into the room.

Taranza had to conjure up a ball of light since the room was so dark. As he did, they both wished he hadn't. The missing boyfriend was down there, all right. His six hands were staked to the wall with steel rusty iron rods. His entire torso was ripped open, a long horizontal cut nearly separating him in half. As the pair inched closer to the corpse, they noticed that whoever did this also tore out his eyes, leaving bloody, dark sockets staring back at them. Sectonia couldn't look for more than a few seconds before turning away from the gruesome scene. As Taranza comforted her, she could think not about the horrifying body she just found, but about how sad that woman will be.


	3. CHapter 3

Sectonia's Lament

Chapter 3

A Foreign Merchant

It was the evening of that day, and, after consideration, it was decided that the dead's beloved would hear the news but would not see the body. Such a gruesome sight brought even Sectonia to tears. It was just a week after her coronation, and there were already cult killings happening. She felt somewhat responsible, but Taranza assured her there was no way she could've known.

As the queen arrived back at the palace, she was notified by Helianthus, the sunflower-wearing council member, that Kirby and his friends were betrayed by Magolor. After beating him, the Master Crown revived him, twisting his form into something out of a Nightmare, to defend itself, though to no avail. The Master Crown was destroyed, and Magolor was brought back from insanity. Kirby had returned to Pop Star, along with his companions, and they were being hailed as heroes.

While Sectonia was happy that the infant star warrior was alive, her mood quickly turned when she saw the Floralian woman waiting for the good news about her lover. To her surprise, the queen rushed past her, tears welling in her eyes, leaving Taranza to explain to her that her beloved was not returning. Even up in her room with the windows sealed, Sectonia could hear her cries of despair, which without a doubt could be heard all the way to Fine Fields.

Weeks upon weeks passed by, with no word from the queen. Rumors started spreading that she had killed herself from the grief. Soon, the entire kingdom surrounded the palace, which was locked from the inside. They rattled the gates, begging to see the queen. High above the masses, Taranza waited outside Sectonia's door, waiting for her to emerge. Day and night, he stood watch, never leaving except to tend to necessities. The only interaction between them was when he brought up meals to her, which she took without a word.

After an entire month, he decided to attempt to talk to her. Working up the courage to confront her, he cracked the door open, flooding the dark room with light. Taranza eased the door open, shutting it behind him as he entered the room. Taranza noticed the queen sitting at her bed, turned away from him. As he walked over to the windows, he heard a rustle as the queen turned to see who was in her room. Taranza drew the curtains back, letting moonlight enter the room. As Taranza turned back to face his ruler, he was met with a depressing sight. The queen's clothes were wrinkled, her mascara had run, and her eyes still wet from tears.

The assistant went over to Sectonia, sitting on the bed along with her, and held her. When he did that, she simply put her face onto his shoulder, and cried. For a long hour, he just held her crying form close, feeling nothing but sadness. Another hour passed, and Taranza set the sleeping queen under her covers. When that was done, he walked across the room, got into his own bed, and drifted off the sleep with one final thought: "Tomorrow, I'll get her something that'll bring her beautiful smile back."

Waking up at the crack of dawn, Taranza walked outside the palace to the crowd still gathered, sick with worry over their queen. After explaining that the queen will return to the public soon, the crowd dispersed, spirits raised. After a few minutes, the kingdom was back to the usual, with shops opening once again. With that, Taranza set out to find that one perfect gift for his friend. Not because she's his queen, but because she's his friend.

Making his down Royal Road, Taranza looked through every shop, finding nothing that he thought would cheer up the queen. Just when he was about to head to the next flying island down, something caught his eye. A shop that he'd missed, tucked away from the busy street. Curiosity piqued, Taranza went over to the shop to see the wares. When he stopped in front, he was met with an odd sight. The shopkeeper wasn't Floralian. He was a native of Dreamland. Sitting, or rather, bouncing behind the counter was a cheery-eyed person balancing on a ball, with a floppy jester's hat sitting snugly on his…body? Head? Taranza couldn't tell where one began and the other ended.

"Hiya! What can I get for you!" the jester asked with a grin.

"Well, I'm looking for a present for my friend, the queen", Taranza explained, looking at the shopkeeper's wares.

"I think I have just the thing!" The jester announced, and he immediately went to the back room of his shop. A few minutes later, he came out telekinetically holding a magnificent mirror. Taranza, whilst enthralled with the product, was curious as to where the jester got the curio.

"Where'd you even find this? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Well, when you've travelled across Dreamland, you can find the weirdest things!" the jester said, still grinning.

"How'd a person from Dreamland even get up here anyways?" Taranza inquired, realizing that this man is far from home.

"Well, when someone wants you dead, you do whatever you can to hide from them", the jester stated.

Deciding not to question the poor shopkeeper anymore, Taranza bought the mirror. However, when he started walking away with it, he noticed something in its reflection: the jester he was just talking to looked different, more purplish and maniacal, with teeth bared in an eternal smile. Taranza whirled around, only to find empty space. The entire shop and its owner were gone.

Taranza practically sprinted back to the palace.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sectonia's Lament_

Chapter 4

Corruption

As Taranza climbed the final staircase leading to the queen's room, he ducked into a nearby closet to get a closer look at the mirror. The vendor who had sold it to him… just didn't seem right. As he sealed the door behind him, Taranza flicked on the light and gazed upon the reflective item. At first, he could only see himself, but as he looked longer, the mirror changed. Gone was Taranza's reflection, and in its place a series of images appeared. First, a dark figure smashing it, then someone repairing it, and then the dark figure being trapped inside. Finally, Taranza saw the jester stealing it from… somewhere, and giving it to the very person looking at it now.

Taranza was shocked, nearly dropping the mirror on the floor. He debated whether he should give it to Sectonia or trash it someplace. He finally decided that this mirror was meant to be a gift, so that's what it will be. Taranza unsealed the door, made his way to Iris's room, and opened the door. The blinds had been drawn again, with Sectonia laying in her bed. Taranza hefted the mirror and placed it near her dresser. Not wanting to have her stay unhappy any longer, Taranza gently shook the queen awake.

"My queen, wake up! I have something for you!"

"Ugghh, Taranza? What time is it?"

"Midday, but that's not important. Look."

The queen's eyes drifted to where Taranza was pointing, and she gasped. Before her was the most beautiful mirror she had seen in her entire life. The realization that something this beautiful was hers immediately cheered her up. Sectonia flung off the covers and got closer to the mirror, unable to believe that something this beautiful was of this dimension. She stared deeply into the glass, feeling as if all she could ever desire was right here. This mirror was gorgeous, it was beautiful, it was powerful so powerful she would take care of it yes she would she would protect it and it would protect her as well she would make sure not a speck of dust so much as floated near it and it would give her the power necessary to crush all who oppose her wait who would oppose me the ones who see you gaining power they seek to undo you they seek to shame you they seek your downfall but with me here that will never happen and I'll make you truly beautiful I'm not beautiful now no you're not you're hideous but I'll fix you up I'll make you stunning I'll grant your every Iris Iris IRIS ARE YOU OKAY

"What, Taranza?! What is it?"

"Y-You were staring an awfully long time, I was worried."

"I was? Strange. Anyway, you may go now."

"But my queen! Shouldn't you address your subjects? Let them know you're okay?"

 _He's trying to steal the mirror. As soon as my back's turned, he'll knock me out and take the mirror_ wait Taranza would never do that _yes he would and yes he will we need to stop him._ No, we don't.

"Sure, Taranza. Let's go."

As the pair walked together, Sectonia asked Taranza where he got the mirror. Not wanting to admit that he bought it from an alleyway vendor, he said that he "went to another world and took it".

"So, you stole it? Relax, Taranza, I'm not mad. I'm happy, for the first time in a while, and it's thanks to you," the queen said, reassuring the poor assistant.

A year passed, then another one, and Taranza had noticed something odd. The queen was spending more and more time staring at her mirror, and less time in the eyes of the public. Rumors of her being dead sprung back up again, eventually reaching Taranza. Curious as to why she hasn't left her room if she's so happy, Taranza went to investigate. Once again, he cracked her door open, but this time a different sight met his eyes. The queen was gone, replaced with an oversized bee or a wasp, with a large abdomen, two gloved hands, and four massive wings positioned behind her thorax. She towered over Taranza, who was silent with surprise. The insect turned and noticed a dumbfounded Taranza standing there.

"What? Am I so beautiful that you've no words left?" the wasp laughed.

Taranza turned to call for the guards, but the wasp flung an orb of energy at him, knocking him down. When Taranza got back up, it seemed as though a veil was lifted from his eyes and he recognized the gorgeous queen instantly.

"Oh! My queen! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you! Can you forgive me?"

"Rise, Taranza. I'll forgive you, but only if you inform the council members that I want to meet with them in an hour."

"Right away, Iris!"

"Call me Your Majesty."

 **A/N: I have a question: would you guys like this series to be a part of a bigger series? I'm thinking of doing something like this for Magolor and Haltmann as well, and then tie them all together. I'd probably call it something like the Marx Saga. Idk, what do you guys think? In-depth large series focusing on Kirby villains, or something else?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the extremely long delay. I just lost my motivation. However, after playing Star Allies, I've decided to come back. This will be a two-chapter finale, since I want to get started on the Star Allies story. Enjoy.**

Chapter 5

 **The Masked King Returns**

Months had passed since Sectonia's transformation. Right after she had turned Taranza, she ordered the council to increase taxes on everything. To enforce her laws, she created her insect vanguard with the help of a strange mirror. Any who dared oppose her were never seen again. The only time citizens ever saw her was when her daily proclamations- of which attendance was mandatory- took place. Every time she made an announcement, the townsfolk cheered. They had to, for the other option was death.

Week after week went by, and the council grew more and more worried. They knew their queen had to be stopped, even if it cost them their lives. And so, the members called upon a power only used when times were direst: the Dreamstalk. They wished upon a seed that the heroes who stopped Magolor would be brought to Floralia, and then cast the seed down upon Dreamland.

The deed was done, but while they were busy, Taranza reported to the queen that an insurrection was occurring. The queen, furious and blinded with anger, ordered the council to be locked away until they either died or the Ancients of Halcandra returned. The tyrant then ordered her servant to go and find the hero, capture him, and return to her. Meanwhile, the seed had landed right next to a certain dome-shaped house, where a child slept and dreamed of cake.

The next morning, that child awoke and saw clouds outside his window. The infant, curious as to why this was happening, went outside and nearly fell. A huge plant had carried his home into the sky, and he had slept right through it. As Kirby looked across the puffy land, he spotted a familiar building: Castle Dedede, where his ex-rival lived. Eager to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar land, Kirby headed to the castle.

When he arrived, he witnessed a kidnapping in progress. A strange six armed being had cast a sort of net around the king and was lifting him off the ground. Seeing the new arrival, Taranza panicked and quickly fled back up into the clouds, king in hand. Unfortunately for him, he had made a grave mistake, as the person he had taken was simply a helper, a "Player 2", whatever that meant, to the real hero of Dreamland, whom he had left back at the castle.

Taranza, believing Kirby to be nothing more than a brightly pink version of one of his cargo's servants, many of which he had brushed aside to get to the owner of the castle, quickly disregarded the pink blob and slowed down his journey back to the palace. When he found a place to rest, Taranza finally got a good look at the hero he had captured.

 _Hm. So a pudgy bird with an eating problem and a bad temper was able to take on the unbridled power of Magolor? And more surprisingly, he was able to defeat the Dark beast that the Crown imprisoned, even after it had absorbed the power of a Soul? I guess it makes sense that he's king. Well, WAS king, I guess. Pretty soon you'll be-what?_

Taranza's train of thought was interrupted when he saw a familiar pink creature running towards him, with a noticeable hat that was shaped like a beetle sitting on his… head? Body? Eh, doesn't matter. Taranza quickly levitated the king off the ground and resumed fleeing, but soon stopped again. Right near him on the ground was a solution: a flower. With the pink annoyance rapidly approaching, Taranza cast a simple spell on the flower, one that made the flower take on a likeness of a denizen of Dreamland: Whispy Woods. As the newly-formed Flowery Woods grew, Taranza fled the scene, wondering how a simple servant could have so much determination. Taranza, realizing the irony of himself wondering about the capabilities of servants, pushed the thought from his head.

Meanwhile, Kirby made quick work of the pseudo-Whispy. What was more surprising to Kirby than how many times he's faced something like Whispy was how every single version of Whispy was weak. It's become a staple in the puffball's world-saving schedule. _Oh, Popstar's in trouble again. Alright, which tree do I have to beat up and force to cry this time?_ Regardless, the tree had been defeated, and the path towards his friend was open. A path that was made of… sweets? Oh well. Considering this is all taking place on floating clouds in the sky, Kirby considered a land of sweets to be far from the weirdest thing here.

In the following days, Kirby chased Taranza across all of Floralia. From the circuses of Lollipop Land all the way to a volcanic area known as Endless Explosions. Along the way, he fought against numerous obstacles thrown at him by Taranza, including a revered snake statue, a lava frog, and even Drawcia's long lost twin, Paintra. Finally, he arrived at the town surrounding the palace. Word had long since reached the citizens, who had locked themselves inside their homes in fear of the terrifying monster Taranza had warned them of. It was strange, he didn't know why he even did it, to be honest. It's not like he cared about them or anything… right? A voice in the back of his head told him otherwise, but as soon as it started, a wave of magic rushed through his head and silenced it. But the deed was already done. He looked on as the people he "didn't care about" rushed off to barricade themselves inside. Taranza shook off the feeling of confusion that had suddenly gripped his mind: he still had a job to do, and as he looked back towards the town square, he could see a pink shape coming into focus.

Taranza had barely gotten everything settled before the pink annoyance walked inside the room. This pest had somehow managed to defeat everything thrown at him AND free the council members, who allowed him to reach this room. As Taranza turned to face the pest, he smiled inwardly. _This brat has no clue what he's in for._ And then he began his speech, which he had been rehearsing since he had reached the castle grounds.

"To think that you've made it this far… Aren't you a persistent little thing? But even you will kneel before us. I, Taranza, cannot allow you to interfere with Queen Sectonia's plans."

He noticed the intruder's confused stare.

"Let me guess: you're here to save the hero of the lower world. The people of this land thought they were clever. They thought they could use the Dreamstalk to save their world. But I saw right through their plan. Well, since you're already here... I'll give you your precious hero back."

As he said this, Taranza lowered the king to the ground, before materializing a familiar item imbued with a little mind-control spell. A mask, which then moved and covered the king's face. Taranza then floated out of the way, issuing with a warning.

"But he may be a little more...hostile than you remember him!"

Taranza could only stare in shock as the "hero" was royally beaten up by the trespassing commoner. He could only stutter in surprise as the king fell to the ground and passed out.

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?! I did just as Her Majesty commanded. The lower world should fall to its knees before me!" It was then that everything clicked. Realization dawned upon his face, and he knew the mistake he had made.

"Could...Could you be the true hero of the lower world? Curses! If that's true... Majesty! Your Majesty Sectonia!" As he called out to his queen, the ceiling shimmered, and a large form descended from a portal. "Oh, glorious Sectonia! Please come to my resc-" Taranza's plea was cut off when his savior simply motioned towards him with her scepter and a blast of magic hit him squarely in the chest, flinging him out of the room and towards the clouds below. If one were to listen to him as he fell, one would hear him utter "Why?" And at that moment, the spell was lifted, his mind was free, and as he regained control, no one noticed him start to slow his fall into a glide towards where the council members were hiding.

As Kirby looked at the newcomer, she turned to him and he saw two emotions in her eyes: seething rage and unfathomable disappointment.

Her loveliness was unmatched.

Her pride was vast.

Her mind was determined to achieve one goal: eternal beauty.

She was Queen Sectonia.


	6. Chapter 5 and a half

**One year. One year has passed and so much has happened. Kept ya waiting, didn't I?**

 **I feel like I should apologize for my absence. College has kept me busy, and I've been looking for a way to practice my creative writing skills, considering that's what I plan on going into. Then I remembered Fanfiction. And here I am.**

 **I have good and possibly bad news, for the few who care. My good news is that I've regained my motivation to write and honed the skills to back it up. An idea for a story struck me, a story set in the Pokémon universe in a certain cold region 21 years after the events of D/P. A long-term project to keep me busy if you will. The possibly bad news is that I must make a choice. I wasn't planning on continuing the Kirby story considering its now in the time where it's part of the actual game. I know, I promised, but things change. If enough people care about it, then of course I'll write that final chapter, or I could get started on Pokémon: The Platinum Experience (name is work in progress tell me if it sucks lol) now and get it to you guys by Christmas at the latest.**

 **Hope to hear from all 3 of you lol**

 **It feels good to be back**

 **Gordo**


	7. Chapter 6

**Here we go**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Moonstruck Blossom**

" _Pitiful, Taranza…"_ the queen sneered, _"I have no use for a fool who cannot follow orders."_

Kirby looked on as the ruler of Floralia turned to face the true savior of the realm below, her size dwarfing him.

" _Now then, hero of the lower world… you would risk your life for this land?"_ Sectonia gestured around her. _"You would stand against me, the ruler of the heavens?"_

Kirby simply stared at the newcomer, unaware of who she was save for seeing portraits of her around Royal Road.

" _Very well… you will bow before the great Queen Sectonia!"_ The queen declared as she hovered in front of the unconscious form of Dreamland's king. _"My beauty rivals the divine… AND MY POWER WILL CRUSH ALL THAT YOU HOLD DEAR!"_ With that, Sectonia disappeared, only to come flying towards Kirby from outside the balcony overlooking the Dreamstalk.

At long last, the deadly waltz for Floralia's fate began. Sectonia wasted no time in attacking, channeling her magic through one of her staffs in the form of deadly lightning and directing it towards the star warrior. Sectonia, in her bottomless pride, neglected to study the pink demon's way of combat, and thus when the lightning struck the ground, Kirby inhaled the debris and shot it back at the matriarch of madness, stunning her not only with how much force such a tiny creature could muster, but more so by how a denizen of the kingdom below could manage to strike a blow against _her_ , the epitome of perfection. She was blessed by the mirror that transcended dimensions, and yet this… **bug** … dared fight back against obliteration!

Sectonia decided to change tactics. It was clear that this creature had learned from his battle against Magolor. The queen dematerialized her staffs and replaced them with rapiers of near-unrivaled sharpness, which she named Dirty and Beauty. Magolor was primarily a magic user, so this mere child shouldn't be too experienced in fighting against melee weapons.

When Kirby saw the queen bring out her swords, he realized that he was outmatched and needed a weapon of his own. Looking around, he saw a passing member of the queen's vanguard, specifically one carrying a sword, and leapt into action. After inhaling the soldier and taking his sword, Kirby felt the combat techniques of the swordfighter flow into his memory once again. Facing Sectonia once more, Kirby swung his blade, creating a beam that struck the queen in her chest. As Sectonia yelled out in pain, the noise managed to make Dedede stir in his sleep, drawing Kirby's attention away from his opponent. The queen saw her chance and decided to not waste it.

Suddenly, the floating form of Sectonia vanished, and the room was flooded with semi-transparent visions of her. As Kirby sliced at one, the blade simply passed through, leaving the image unaffected. Kirby stood as these visions encircled him, whilst Sectonia laughed in the distance. Not that long ago, a figure inside the mirror called Sectonia to it, where it then taught her how to utilize her afterimages to trick an opponent. While it can be used as a defensive tactic, its main purpose is as a mind-game. The opponent psyches themselves out with paranoia, not knowing where their true foe is. When their back is turned, the user strikes, catching them completely off-guard.

Sectonia only had to wait a few seconds before the child was looking around in fear. The queen finally rushed her foe, swinging her swords and smiling when she felt them reach their mark. Sectonia looked down, expecting to see Kirby in pieces, but was shocked to see that while her blades had hit him, he was mostly unharmed, and the swords were instead pushing him around them, almost like he was rubber. Kirby took advantage of her shock and swung upwards, his blade cutting Sectonia's perfect face. As she staggered back, using magic to stop the bleeding, Kirby advanced towards her, anger burning in his eyes. As the queen's wound healed, she attempted to fly upwards to take a breather but was surprised when trying to do so resulted in searing pain along her back. Sectonia looked to see why and saw that one of her wings was badly damaged. It seems that when Kirby counterattacked just now, he took the opportunity to press forward and rip a hole in her wing while she began reeling from the pain. That was the one disadvantage of these wings- since they were attached by magic only, they had no nerve connections. She couldn't feel when someone touched or harmed them, so she always made sure that they were protected.

Sectonia could feel her fatigue catching up to her, in both body and magic reserves. Out of time for anything else, Sectonia used one of her most powerful spells, Crystomancy, and summoned a massive pink diamond. She considered throwing it at her foe but realized that she could capitalize on his urge to protect much more efficiently. She instead threw the massive gem towards the fallen king, expecting to see Kirby rush to move him out of the way. Kirby simply walked over to him and faced the rock. Sectonia could only gasp before Kirby spun around and used his inertia to catapult himself at the diamond, slicing through it and flying towards the weary queen. Sectonia barely had time to understand what she was seeing before Kirby impaled his blade in the queen's thorax before leaving it there, losing his ability.

Dedede had experienced probably the worst day in his life. First, he gets kidnapped by some weird spider demon, who then forced him to fight against his frenemy while wearing that old mask he once thought looked cool, then to top it off he got the stuffing beaten out of him by Kirby. He didn't know how long he was unconscious but when he finally felt himself coming to, he was greeted by the sight of Kirby happily running over to him while a sword was buried to the hilt in this weird bug lady. Eh, what else is new?

Dedede barely had time to recover, though. While Kirby was celebrating his friend waking up, they both heard raspy laughing and turned to see the weak form of Sectonia struggling to flutter.

" _I… see. I should've expected as much from the hero chosen by the Dreamstalk."_

Dedede, in his kingly wisdom, hid behind Kirby, knowing that he himself stood no chance against this crazy ruler.

" _But I wonder… How will you handle this?"_ Sectonia asked, flying towards the Dreamstalk.

" _You see, true beauty… is control. The Dreamstalk has guided you thus far… BUT IT'S BLOOM WILL BE YOUR DOOM! FLORALIA, DREAMLAND, AND THIS ENTIRE PLANET!"_

With that, Sectonia shed her wings and fused herself with the Dreamstalk, commanding it to spread its vines across the world. Sectonia's insect form wasn't unique to her. There once existed a species of insect that looked much like her. They survived off the life energy of others, and as a result were wiped out by the Ancients. The mirror, which remembered these species, turned Sectonia into one as that would be the ideal form for what it had planned.

" _You should all feel honored. You will serve as my sustenance… FOR ETERNITY!"_

As vines began to cover the balcony, Dedede grabbed his mallet, threw Kirby in the air, then smacked him towards what was once the lovely queen of Floralia. The king watched Kirby fly into the distance, before his view was fully obstructed.

Kirby could only wait until he finally landed before doing anything. As the wind whistled past him, he saw just what Sectonia had become. The Dreamstalk had finally opened, but as for what was within, one could only describe as a fatally beautiful bloom. The rose-pink petals lay flat, at the center of which was Sectonia. Her eyebrows had transformed into long antennae. Her body replaced by the bulb that held the petals. She had finally FLOWERED, and Kirby must lay her to rest.

Kirby had no time to spare when he landed on a vine, as smaller vines carrying eyeballs swarmed him, trying to cut him with their razor-sharp leaves. For every eye that Kirby defeated, two more appeared. Eventually, Kirby stopped fighting them and instead focused on evading them. Soon enough, Kirby reached the flower at the center. Sectonia, whose mind was completely clouded, could only roar in anger before Kirby inhaled a stray leaf and gained a crown of them. Determined to put Sectonia out of her misery, Kirby whipped up a storm of leaves, bending them to his will as he directed them towards the greatest blossom Dreamland has ever seen. Kirby felt a pang of guilt as Sectonia cried out in pain as the leaves tore away at her stalk, but he reminded himself that she blasted away what seemed to be her only friend. She's too far gone for reasoning.

As Kirby struck the final blow against Sectonia, the abomination cried out in pain and rage. As the plant fell backwards, the sky itself seemed to break. Lightning bolt-like fissures rippled throughout the air, accompanied by a booming sound.

"Mr. Haltmann? You should see this."

Max Haltmann looked up from his monitors at his secretary, Susie. "What is it?" he asked, coming to her side.

"Look, another timeline rupture, coming from the same planet, Popstar."

Max looked down at the screen, seeing that indeed, time and space were currently fragmenting around the planet.

"Set a course for Shiver Star. We'll refuel there, then head to Popstar."

"Wait, why? Why trouble yourself with a planet of natives?"

"Have you forgotten what the goal of this company is, Susie? I built this from the ground up to try to find my daughter. She's somewhere out there, I know it! This planet was the site of several events that drastically changed the course of history. If she's anywhere in the universe, she's there!"

Susie looked away. "Maybe instead of looking across the galaxy you could see what's right in front of you, old man," she muttered.

"What was that, Susie?"

"Nothing, sir. Just running some calculations for the fuel."

 **CANON TIMELINE**

As Kirby celebrated his victory, a vine coiled around him. Looking back, he saw the hulking form of Sectonia get back up. Panic flashed through his mind as he struggled against his binds to no avail. Neither of them noticed a form flying towards the pair until Taranza appeared above Kirby with a hyper fruit in his hand. Before Sectonia could swat him away, he threw the fruit towards Kirby. Sectonia couldn't do anything as Kirby swallowed it whole, then began radiating a rainbow of light. He slipped from her grasp easily and landed on a stray petal. Sectonia, eyes full of fire and fury, had finally had it. Her petals began glowing as she absorbed light from the moon into her center. One final attack, to ride herself of this pink nuisance.

As Sectonia unleashed all the power built up, Kirby had other plans. In her vanity, the "perfect" queen had forgotten about Kirby's ability. A beam of pure energy rocketed towards the savior of Dreamland, but instead of dodging it, Kirby simply began inhaling. Thus, a struggle began. Sectonia attempted to overpower Kirby's appetite while Kirby struggled to inhale whatever the queen dished out. In the end, Sectonia simply couldn't continue. The beam stopped, and she could only stare into Kirby's eyes, almost pleading him to help her. And Kirby did just that. He spat out the massive beam he'd been inhaling for over 20 seconds straight, all in the span of just a few moments. A white light enveloped Sectonia, and while she felt burning pain, she was also finally free of the mirror's influence. As the moonstruck blossom fell back towards the planet's surface, Sectonia recounted the chain of events that took place that allowed this to happen.

Moments later, Kirby and Taranza had made their way down to where a dying queen lay. Taranza rushed to her side, his face filled with worry.

"My queen? No… Iris? Have you returned?"

" _Hey, Tary… how have you been?"_

"IRIS!" Taranza could only cry out as he cradled her head.

Kirby felt like he was intruding on what would be their last moments together, so he turned and started to walk away.

" _Wait…"_ Kirby stopped and turned. _"Hero… I thank you… though I may be dying, I shall die with Tara by my side… you have no idea how happy I am…"_

"WHAT? No, you're not dying, Iris. T-that's crazy! We'll get you to the med ward…" Taranza drifted off as he saw how impossible that was because of her body.

" _Tara…"_

"It's OK! I'll think of something!"

" _Tara."_

"Don't worry, I'll atone somehow-"

" _Taranza."_

Taranza looked up and saw through his own tears that his queen was crying. But… she was smiling… why?

" _I always… loved that about you… you try to fix everything you can… even if you didn't break it…"_

"But… you're dying! And it's my fault!"

" _Oh, Tara… you couldn't have known… ah!"_ the queen grimaced, feeling her time was almost up. She used that last of her strength to pull Taranza closer to her, embracing him in a kiss.

" _Goodbye… Tara…lead our people well… I'll watch over you from... above…"_

With that, the queen's eyes closed for the final time. At long last, she could finally have her everlasting beauty rest.

Taranza cried until the sun shone. By then, Sectonia's body had evaporated into the wind. But as sunlight crept over the Dreamstalk, Sectonia's final gift revealed itself. Taranza was shaken out of his grief by the earth beneath him shaking. Looking up, he saw the Dreamstalk right itself, extending to the heavens above. As it opened its petals, Taranza felt something touch one of his hands. As Taranza looked, he saw a small Iris, the namesake of his former queen, sprouting next to him.

He still makes yearly travels to the Dreamstalk's base to sit next to it.

 **Parallel Timeline**

As Sectonia fell backwards, something within her snapped. It was the last shred of her sanity. Looking up, she saw a couple of hyper fruits that the traitor Taranza held, no doubt trying to usurp his queen by helping the enemy. Sectonia commanded her eyes to snatch them away, engulfing them herself. The queen immediately felt a rush of power unrivaled by anything she felt before. She detached her body from the lowly plant she thought would be her salvation, realizing that these fruits were the real deal. As the body of Sectonia fell, her Soul rose, gaining a physical form, wings included. Thus, Kirby began his fight against a husk of the once great ruler.

 **Whew. And all this was written in oh around 5 hours. That's why I'm excited for my next project. My hope is it'll be massive, each chapter having no less than 4000 words. See ya next time**


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